Recently in Giving Generously Category

What does this church do? We give generously to support a shelter for abuse women and their children.

Each month we choose an organization we are affiliated and covenanted with to show our generosity. The organization for December is Haven House. We have been donating to this organization for over 10 years. We plan to split the offertory on Sunday, December 21st. Please plan to give generously.

In addition to splitting the offertory we will asking those of you who wish to bring socks and undies. Haven House is a shelter for abused women and their children. When they leave home they often leave with nothing. When they arrive at the shelter a fresh pair of undies and warm socks is a pleasant welcome. The other item we asking for this season are Target Gift Cards. When the families leave the shelter to start a new life they must purchase supplies for a new home. With our gift cards they are able to purchase sheets, blankets, and kitchen supplies.

Join together and give generously.

Once upon a time, in a temple nestled in the misty end of south hill, lived a pair of monks. One old and one young. 'What are the differences between Heaven and Hell?' the young monk asked the learned master one day. 'There are no material differences,' replied the old monk peacefully. 'None at all?' asked the confused young monk.

'Yes. Both Heaven and Hell look the same. They all have a dining hall with a big hot pot in the center in which some delicious noodles are boiled, giving off an appetizing scent,' said our old monk. 'The size of the pan and the number of people sitting around the pot are the same in these two places.' 'But oddly, each diner is given a pair of meter-long chopsticks and must use them to eat the noodles. And to eat the noodles, one must hold the chopsticks properly at their ends, no cheating is allowed,' the zen master went on to describe to our young monk.

'In the case of Hell, people are always starved because no matter how hard they try, they fail to get the noodles into their mouths,' said the old monk. 'But isn't it the same in Heaven?' the young monk questioned. 'No. They can eat because they each feed the person sitting opposite them at the table. You see, that is the difference between Heaven and Hell,' explained the old monk.

Being generous in life is the moral of the story. Being generous in spirit is the practice. We grow spiritually by becoming involved with our church community and then reaching beyond our walls to the outside community. We build our morale by becoming more generous. 'What does this church do? It helps the community in this way.' 

Each month we choose an organization we are affiliated and covenanted with to show our generosity. The organization for November is Union Station Family Center. This is the organization for which we make lunches once per month. We plan to split the offertory on Sunday, November 23rd. Please plan to give generously.